"Don't worry," Tianming said. "How are you feeling now?"

"He pulled off a risky gambit indeed, so when I finally pushed back, I got back more control than before. Still, it's hard to get rid of him for good. I might be in this state for quite some time yet," Lingfeng said.

"I'll try to come up with something to kill him for good," Tianming said.

Di Yi, Huang Qi, and this mysterious number-eight Adjudicator, all weird, numbered entities, were starting to get on Tianming's nerves.Thankfully, Tian Jiu is my girl. He found himself missing Moran a little bit.

Having nothing better to do, he stopped and waited. The Adjudicator didn't make him wait too long. Once the blood-rose insignias cleared up completely, a crimson sphere descended from the sky above. The crowd's commotion quickly quieted down.

Most people there looked at the Adjudicator in a respectful manner. They didn't know too much about what kind of being he was, but they showed respect as even peak figures like Imperator Skyplunder and Imperator Ji also paid him deference. There was no way an entity that the imperatores had to be respectful towards could be weak.

Tianming was the only one who didn't bother with showing him any respect, knowing that the Adjudicator had openly tried to get him killed through that bet. Tianming slaughtered all those troops for the sole benefit of the Adjudicator to see.

Something that many people didn't notice was how Imperator Ji came to the border of the Ruinless Zone as the Adjudicator descended. Her eyes were bloodshot, though she seemed abnormally calm for someone who should be suffering from lots of grief. Perhaps that calm was nothing but a thin veil for unending rage and resentment.

The Adjudicator's mechanical voice began to ring out across the Ruinless Zone. "Everyone, I have arranged for this bet in an effort to keep the peace in the Realm of Chaos. This way, we could've settled a pressing issue without any side having to go to war and resolve the conflicts that have arisen. Even though the results were far bloodier than I had expected, the outcome is still a result of fair competition. There is no doubt that Skyplunder Imperial Son Li Tianming's unbelievable prowess was to thank for this undebatable outcome. He has gotten the last laugh, serving as a whole army on his own.

"The fighters from Violetblitz and Yueling have also given their best and won our highest respects. With that in mind, I announce this battle over. Next, both sides that participated in the bet shall carry out their obligations with the entire Realm of Chaos as witness. Let us all create a peaceful and prosperous Realm of Chaos with the upcoming wedding ceremony as the first sign of a strong union to come!"

The Adjudicator didn't show any preferential treatment at all. Even though people from Yueling and Violetblitz weren't quite sure what the Adjudicator would do, they had felt like he would at least do something! Harsh reality came crashing down on their haughty noses, dealing yet another heavy blow to them. It felt like being slapped countless times until their faces swelled up, snot flying everywhere.

The final blow came in the form of the Adjudicator's words that were filled with a hint of laughter. "The imperial son has the potential to dominate the entire universe, while the four imperatores are all peerless women that surpass those from all generations before. I believe that the union between these five is a fortuitous event for the Realm of Chaos. You husband and wives shall lead the way into a bright and promising future for all of us."

Just like that, the Adjudicator slowly faded into the darkness and vanished completely, as if his job there was done. His words of blessings were the final twisted knife that those from Yueling and Violetblitz felt in all seven of their astral organs.

"Aaaaaagh!" Yueling Xiao was crying so profusely that he was no longer intelligible.

The spotlight fell on Tianming and Imperator Ji once the Adjudicator left. People were curious to see how they would carry out the terms of the bet and react to the words of the Adjudicator. It all depended on Imperator Ji, of course.

Tianming was more than willing to go through with the bargain since the imperatores would be marrying into his family, after all. It was as if the entire Yueling Starcage was their dowry. "Big Sis Yueling, I really feel bad for killing your eight sons. To make up for it, I'll do my best after we get married and give you eight better children. What do you think?"

"You curr!" Yueling Xiao cried before he spat out another mouthful of blood and charged towards Tianming, only to run into an invisible wall. His rage had caused him to forget the age restriction of that area. What he didn't expect, however, was that his daughter would calmly pick him up.

Expression unchanged, she said, "Today is a day of mourning. We shall talk about auspicious things like marriage in the coming days."

"Is that so?" Tianming seemed rather surprised. "The wedding has to happen in the next ten years. Shall we at least set a date?"

Yueling Ji lowered her head and said, "Yueling Starcage has well and truly accepted our loss. After the Adjudicator painstakingly presided over our arrangement, neither I nor my sisters would dare to disappoint him. We will let you have the final say on all things regarding the marriage."

Seeing a hundred-thousand-meter goddess whose legs alone were taller than Tianming talking to him in such a deferential tone caused many of them to gawk. Did she really manage to internalize the loss properly? If the wedding really happened, then the Realm of Chaos would truly achieve peace. All of them would be one big family!

"You're leaving it to me?" Tianming nodded with a smile. "I will make sure to give this my all and host a wedding of the ages for you and your three sisters!"

"Very well. With that taken care of, I have to take my leave and deal with the aftermath," Imperator Ji said.

"Feel free," Tianming said.

She gave him one last look before disappearing into the darkness of the cosmos, her rainbow-dress trailing behind her. The cosmic gods from Yueling and Violetblitz also left, spirits broken. Tianming wasn't so naive as to think that this was the end of it.

"Hmm..." Something suddenly occurred to Tianming: the green-leaf insignia was still there between his brows.